


Fist Meet Face

by Jathis



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beating, Blood, Budding Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eye Trauma, Head Injury, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 17:21:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21581236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: If Stanley had heard Gaston’s threat towards Lefou
Relationships: LeFou & Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), LeFou/Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	Fist Meet Face

Things were going too far. He was all too aware of what happened when things went too far. He had seen the burnt remains of enemy camps when the order of “kill them all” was given by a commander. He had also seen the smoldering remains of villages that had only committed the crime of being French and in the enemy’s way. 

Without thinking he reached out, placing a hand on Gaston’s shoulder to try and pull him back. He could still fix this. All he had to do was talk to Gaston. He could always calm him down with enough time. “Gaston, with all due respect…”

The larger man whirled around, eyes blazing as he stared into Lefou’s. “Do you want to be next?!” he snarled. The threat hung heavy in the air. All Gaston had to do was say what Lefou was and it would be over.

It was then that Lefou realized that Gaston was never his friend. He pulled his hand off of his shoulder as if he had been burned, unable to hide the hurt on his face. Of course Gaston wasn’t his friend. Why had he ever thought they were? He was so blinded and needy for any form of friendship…

“Fetch my horse!” Movement from the corner of his eye made him turn and Gaston’s eyes widened slightly at the sword point aimed at his face.

Lefou stared at Stanley in confusion. The younger man stood with his sword drawn, pointing it in Gaston’s face. Tom and Dick still had a firm grip on Maurice, looking at their younger companion in confusion at this sudden betrayal. “Stanley?” he whispered.

“You’re not putting a hand on him,” Stanley hissed, his face expressionless. His heart was hammering in his chest, hand shaking slightly as he held his blade. He was a village boy playing musketeer, the only killing he had done being on the hunt.

Gaston saw the shaking in Stanley’s hand and he smiled, locking eyes with Stanley. “I knew it,” he murmured, “but I refuse to let a sudden growth of a spine get in my way.” He bowed his head just so and lunged forward, knocking Stanley’s sword aside with one hand to make it useless. With his other hand he slammed a fist into his stomach to knock the air out of him. He took hold of Stanley’s sword once his grip loosened and he smashed their foreheads together, knocking Stanley onto his back, pouncing on top of him before Stanley could bring his hands up to protect himself.

“Gaston!” Lefou cried. He watched in horror as Gaston beat Stanley’s face with the hilt of his own sword. He had to do something before he killed him. Gaston was perfectly willing to kill anyone in his way now. He grabbed his arm as he raised it up again for another blow, holding it firmly as he pleaded, “Gaston, stop!”

And to his surprise, Gaston did. He stood up, throwing Stanley’s sword onto his chest. He looked down at Lefou, body still tense and ready for a fight. “Do not get in my way,” he whispered.

Lefou knelt down beside Stanley as Gaston continued to whip up the crowd into a furious mob for his cause. He helped the younger man to sit up, wincing at the blood pouring from both of his nostrils and split lips. One eye was already swollen shut, the other threatening to join it as it turned purple and black. “Stanley…”

The other could only groan in reply. Lefou sighed and wrapped Stanley’s arm around his shoulders, pulling Stanley onto his feet and letting him use him for support. He was only slightly disappointed that no one else offered to help them, watching as Gaston soon had everyone under his spell and charging towards the castle. Lefou shook his head, leading Stanley back to the tavern.

“Nngh…”

“Don’t talk,” he warned. He brought Stanley’s hand up to his nose, guiding Stanley on how to pinch the soft part of his nose together. “Lean your head forward a bit. Don’t let go of your nose. Breathe through your mouth.” He got up and dug around the back of the tavern for supplies, raiding the small icehouse out in the back for ice. 

Lefou was back on the battlefield, taking care of the wounded and dying. He knew what he needed to do. He gently opened Stanley’s swollen eye to check for any deep damage, hushing him when he flinched and whimpered. “You’re okay,” he assured him, “you won’t lose your eye.” He soaked a cloth in water before wrapping it around some of the ice, pressing it to the worse of the two eyes and holding it there. 

He waited a few minutes and then gently pulled Stanley’s hand away from his nose, nodding when he saw the bleeding had stopped. “Hold this,” he said, guiding Stanley’s hand to the cloth on his eye. He then used another to gently clean the blood off Stanley’s upper lip from his nose before checking the cuts on the bottom lip. It was swollen and red, but the bleeding had already stopped. “Let me check your teeth.”

“Lefou…”

He looked into Stanley’s partially open eye, cheeks burning a little before he forced himself to focus on his work, checking Stanley’s teeth and finding that none were loose or missing. “Why would you ever threaten Gaston like that? He could have killed you.”

“He was going to kill you,” Stanley murmured.

Lefou laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “He didn’t say that.”

“That place is a death sentence for people like us. They torture and murder people labeled as sodomites for fun.”

He blinked at that. Lefou sat back and looked at Stanley properly, searching his battered and bruised face. “People like us?” he softly asked.

“Oui,” Stanley murmured.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” Stanley winced, adjusting his hold on the cloth over his eye. He looked back at Lefou, running a tongue over his lips. “You and I are alike,” he finally said.

“...I never knew you were like me,” he whispered.

“I should have been braver. I could see he was pushing you to say something and I just…”

“It’s over now,” Lefou said with a shrug. “Whatever happens at the castle is up to them.”

“We should try and help.”

“And how do you intend on doing that, one eye?” Lefou teased.

Stanley pouted, “I can still wield a sword. We can’t let Gaston get away with this.”

“If we were in the war right now; I would have already given the order to keep you off the field. You’re in no condition for fighting.”

“But we can’t sit here and do nothing! That’s what let him get away with all of this in the first place!” Stanley insisted.

Lefou looked at Stanley, searching his face. “I thought you admired Gaston?”

Stanley shook his head, grimacing. “Not when he treated you so poorly,” he said. 

“Why do you care how he treats me?”

“Because..!”

“Because..?” Stanley’s face turned bright red and Lefou understood. His expression softened and he placed a hand over Stanley’s. “Your horse can carry two riders?”

“Bisou? Oui, she’s strong,” he said. He blinked as Lefou pulled the cloth away from his eye, checking the condition of the swelling. “Lefou..?”

The swelling had gone down considerably over time. The eyelid was still closed and discolored but he no longer had to worry about using a dagger to drain it. Lefou nodded and stood up, holding Stanley’s sword out to him hilt first. “Good. We have a castle to get to.”

Stanley took back his sword, slipping it back into its scabbard before standing up. “I’m going to stand up for you from now on,” he blurted as they made their way outside. “I’m not going to be afraid anymore to let anyone know how I feel.”

“Try not to get your face smashed in,” Lefou warned as he climbed up behind Stanley onto Bisou. “It’s too pretty to be beaten like that.” The young man laughed and Lefou held onto his hips as the mare took off at a run, charging towards the castle that had long been forgotten.


End file.
